The official tagline for Autodesk University 2012 was "Learn. Explore. Connect." The conference centered on the cloud revolution.
Approximately 8,000 Autodesk University attendees filled the North Convention Center of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino for the opening keynote address.
Dezso Molnar rode onto stage on a GyroCycle, which he invented and had flying within seven months of preliminary design.
Schuyler St. Leger, a 12-year-old with a passion for inventing, greeted Carl Bass, Autodesk president and CEO, with a handshake and a duel on who had the best LED-illuminated lab coat.
Bass addressing the audience at the opening keynote of Autodesk University 2012
Autodesk thought leader Sarah Krasley moderated "The Future of Making Stuff," an Innovation Forum that featured (on stage, from l to r): Jay Rogers, Local Motors president, CEO, and cofounder; Ash Notaney, Project Frog vice president of product and innovation; Domenic Di Giorgio, digital creatureologist, Creature Technology; Patrick Triato, Carbon Audio lead designer; Jason Martin, Carbon Audio CEO; Mickey McManus, Maya Design president and CEO; and Mark Hatch, TechShop CEO. An artist documented the Innovation Forums in real-time using Autodesk SketchBook.
Andrew Anagnost, Autodesk senior vice present of industry strategy and marketing, opened the Innovation Forum "The Reality of the Cloud."
Theresa Payton, a former chief information officer at the White House, discussed cybersecurity in the cloud.
In the Creative Studio, which showcased the software and equipment to take ideas from concept to prototype, attendees elbowed for the opportunity to personalize their conference badges with LEDs, pins, and stickers.
The participants in the Autodesk IDEAS Cage Match mugged for a group photo.
